Tom Izzo reveals Michigan State's lineup plans for dealing with No. 5 Illinois
Michigan State is trying to put together a late-season push after a rough stretch in conference play, but Tuesday’s game will be a tough task for the Spartans.
Tom Izzo and company are coming off of a solid win, taking down Indiana on Saturday. That was a quality win for the Spartans led by a special performance from Aaron Henry.
On Tuesday, Michigan State will welcome No. 5 Illinois to the Breslin Center to face a team that is clicking on both ends of the court. The Illini are riding a seven-game winning streak and are led by do-everything guard Ayo Dosunmu who has two triple-doubles in his past four games.
Faced with the task of dealing with Dosunmu and the talent of the Illini, Izzo discussed his plans for the lineup during his pre-game radio show. According to Chris Solari with the Detroit Free Press, Izzo is planning on utilizing more four-guard lineups to start the game.
While that will hopefully allow Michigan State to keep up with Illinois’ guard play, the Spartans must also deal with star 7-footer Kofi Cockburn who is a monster down low. This will definitely be a tough and intriguing matchup for Izzo and company.
Here are his comments about the lineup:
Tom Izzo on pregame radio show says MSU will play more four-guard lineups tonight against Illinois and "until we get a couple guys playing better."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 23, 2021
Izzo says he will start the smaller lineup "to see if we can get going." So likely Langford, Watts, Henry, Brown and … (he did not specify players or if it'll be Kithier/Bingham/Marble/Sissoko at the 5).
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 23, 2021